The leader of Taiwan's new ruling party told Chinese President Hu Jintao that the self-governed island needs to have an international presence, but acknowledged Wednesday there would be no quick solution to long-standing disputes.

China and Russia sharply condemned U.S. missile defense plans Friday, taking a harder common line that reinforces an already strong strategic partnership during Dmitry Medvedev's first foreign trip as Russian president.

In China's first public response to the inauguration of Taiwan's new president, a Chinese official praised improved cross-strait relations Thursday and urged advocates of the island's formal independence to follow what he called the "correct path."

Troops dug burial pits in this quake-shattered town and black smoke poured from crematorium chimneys elsewhere in central China as priorities began shifting Thursday from the hunt for survivors to dealing with the dead. Officials said the final toll could more than double to 50,000.